Jun 23, 2007

Sample Page from Idea Book - A Bot Chapter

Unfortunately, I splattered paint all over my PDF file when I was mixing the new color for my budget space rocket. Silly Me. I’ll have to remember to keep my PC away from the shop. I apologize for the mess but this is all I can offer at this time.

So, what can you figure out from reading the full-sized image?

The first person to figure out the subject of the chapter AND the function of the bot wins a wonderful opportunity to be the test pilot on the maiden voyage of my rocket when I complete construction. The keenest investigators will carefully examine all of the available evidence for any clues. Be careful! Each person is limited to 1 guess. However, if a correct answer is not posted by Monday morning I will throw in a hint and allow each person one additional guess.

Everyone is welcome to talk about it... But try not to give away any answers before you post 'em yourself!

John Cage was an American composer and philosopher (in)famous for his 'composition' of 4'33" which consisted of three movements of silence totaling four minutes thirty three seconds.

He was also a pioneer of chance or aleatoric music in which some element of the composition is left to chance. Cage did this famously by using the i Ching to determine which notes would be played when.

I think this chapter is more about generative music however, in which the composer constructs certain parameters that, given certain inputs, create an infinitely variable but strictly constrained set of sounds or 'music.'

Wind chimes might be compared to the 'bot in this chapter. They consist of pipes of certain length, weight, position and material. Given wind they make sound.

End heavy citing of wikipedia.

This bot clearly has a touch sensor, sight sensor and perhaps also a sound sensor. It also has one other one on the side that I can't tell what it is. In addition to two motors driving it around it also seems to have an extra motor in front that has a little knob on it.

My guess is that this bot makes generative music based on inputs from all of these sources and may also dance or at least move around in search of inputs.

Clap your hands, talk, wave over the top, press the button, twirl the knob and music comes out.

Or at least it will be as much like music as sounds derived from the i Ching.

I saw the words Texas Instruments speak and spell (garbled) and looked it up. It seemed like a good robotics application. I later found our who John Cage was, but I couldn't find the specific quote mentioned... does anybody know what it is? Quotationsplace.com and Wiki don't have it!

I figured out that the guy being quoted was John Cage. From there and what bits of text I could make out, I determined that the chapter must have something to do with music theory, particularly electronically generated music. Wikipedia and various quotation websites were very helpful.

Does anyone know what the word is after "discovering" in the title of the dark gray box?

Via Amazon.comReaders learn about the NXT parts (beams, axles, gears, and so on), and how to combine them to build and program working robots like a slot machine (complete with flashing lights and lever), and black-and-white scanner, and even a robot DJ.

The Closest answer was from Chaos Theory! Congrats, you will be the Test Pilot on what will hopefully be a round trip maiden voyage of the soon to be complete Smith Budget Space Agency's - Rocket Smith I. I will be contacting you soon with details. You should no problems fitting into the ascent flight suit provided you are less than 1 inch in diameter and under 3 inches tall.

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Now, all of the answers were very clever and I can see some new ideas were also presented. However, Chaos' was the most correct. Hans' was a close second but your answer "treaded" on ground that the robot does not...

This robot Rocks, but it doesn't Roll! The wheels are for user alteration of sound like a DJ's turn-tables.

It is called "BenderBot"...for bending sound to create music.

The next word after "Discovering" in the gray box is "Bent" followed by "Music". Please, grab the book to find out more! Readers will not regret this purchase.

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